The Farm Girl and the Drake
by Gentleman Y
Summary: Experience the thrillingly romantic tale of an honest farm girl and a carefree young Dragon. When the two get together, they embark on an adventure. (Alternate Universe. Cover art by TheBrokenCOG.)
1. Plot Summary

Applejack, an honest farm girl, meets a roguish drake called Spike. He's obviously from the wrong side of town, but happenings at Applejack's home make her decide to travel with him for a while. Will Spike convince her to run away with him and live life freely or will Applejack's love convince Spike to see things her way?


	2. Applejack

Our story begins one Hearth's Warming Eve many, many years ago. The streets and houses were covered with freshly fallen snow and lights burned brightly in every window. The air tingled with excitement. Soon it would be time to open presents.

At Sweet Apple Acres, the rooms of the farmhouse were covered in garlands and wreaths. Stockings hung beneath the fireplace mantel, and many colorful boxes lay under the tree.

But the family wasn't home. They were in the hospital, awaiting the arrival of the newest member of their clan. Granny Smith calmly sat in the waiting room while Big Macintosh anxiously paced back and forth.

"Don't worry," she told her grandson. "Your ma's gonna be okay."

Big Macintosh was exceptionally worried. The past few hours had been a blur. It all started with the family sitting down to dinner when his mother, Pear Butter, cried out in pain and said that "her water broke." Then Bright Mac, Big Macintosh's father, ordered his son to help his mother outside while he got the wagon and horses ready.

Bright Mac took the reins and drove his family to the hospital in town, and once there, Pear Butter was rushed to the delivery room, her husband alongside her, while their son and Granny Smith stayed in the waiting room.

At last, the clock struck midnight.

The nurse, a thin woman with long hair named Redheart, entered the waiting room and beckoned Big Macintosh and Granny Smith to follow her.

They walked down the clean corridor of the maternity ward and stopped at a wooden door.

Nurse Redheart turned the handle and opened the door.

Then Big Macintosh heard a sound coming from inside the room—soft, cooing sounds.

Pear Butter was in bed, cradling a bundle of blankets in her arms, and Bright Mac was sitting beside her, still wearing his delivery scrubs.

"It's a girl," he said with a proud smile.

They all stared at the child wrapped in the blankets. She looked so tiny, with big green eyes that shined like emeralds and a small curl of blonde hair.

"Oh, she's beautiful," Granny Smith said.

As Bright Mac looked down at his daughter, he stretched out a finger and lightly touched her hand, which had fallen out of the blankets, and she grasped it in a firm grip.

"I guess we won't be naming her after my mother," Bright Mac said.

"So, what should we name her?" Pear Butter asked.

Big Macintosh took one look at his new sister and said, "Applejack."

"Applejack?" Bright Mac repeated.

"I love it," Pear Butter said as she kissed her on the forehead. "Welcome to the family, Applejack."


	3. Life on the Farm

Years went by. Winter bloomed into spring and spring blossomed into summer. And as the seasons changed, so did Applejack.

Soon, she became the apple of her parents' eyes. Bright Mac and Pear Butter loved their daughter very much and they always made time for her. And in return, she looked after them and Big Macintosh.

The family's dog, a brown and white Border collie named Winona, slept at the foot of Applejack's bed. And every morning she wakened Applejack with a bark and a gentle lick at her hand.

Then, she would stand by until Applejack got up.

Applejack sat up, stretching her arms above her head. Then she threw off her covers and swung her feet over the edge of the bed.

She slid over to her dresser, shedding her footed pajamas, revealing her golden tan, and sat in front of the mirror. She stared at her reflection and brushed her long blonde hair before going to her closet.

She chose an orange plaid shirt and faded blue jeans. She left the neck of the shirt open two buttons, then she rolled the sleeves up to her elbows, and tied the bottom at her midriff. Then she picked up a pair of brown cowhide gloves and pulled on her worn brown boots.

After Applejack got dressed, she raced Winona downstairs and out the kitchen door to meet the postwoman at the gate. After the postwoman came it was breakfast time. Applejack brought in the mail and her Pa's newspaper, and Winona sat beside Applejack to make certain that not even a crumb went to waste.

After making sure that her mom didn't need her help with the housework, Applejack went out to help her dad and Big Macintosh in the orchards. And Winona stayed close to Applejack, protecting her from potential danger.

There were vampire fruit bats and flocks of crows, especially during zap apple harvest, but Timberwolves were the big problem.

These beasts weren't strangers, in a sort of way. They often prowled around the orchards, just outside the forest, watching the farmers work.

Applejack paused and noticed one such creature slinking silently along under the cover of the tall grass near the fence. From the end of the fence it was a short dash to the shelter of the woodpile. And there the Timberwolf lurked, waiting for a chance to attack.

Applejack had never seen a Timberwolf herself before, but she remembered what her grandmother, Granny Smith, had told her about them. They were evil, they were vicious and they had very foul breath. But they always had been driven off by the sound of clanking metal.

Applejack knew that these animals must not be allowed onto the property!

Winona growled and barked at the beast as Applejack made a dash for the house. She ran into the kitchen, grabbed two metal pots from above the stove and ran back outside, clanging them together.

The Timberwolf balked at the sound, then turned, and Winona chased it away. After watching it retreat into the forest, Winona returned to Applejack.

And as Bright Mac watched his daughter hug Winona, he felt proud. His little girl had driven off a Timberwolf.


	4. Applejack Gets Her Hat

One day, Applejack's parents came home with a surprise for her. Her father handed her a large white box with a shiny pink ribbon. Then he stepped back, a smile painted on his face.

It was not often that Applejack received gifts except for Hearth's Warming and her birthday, so this must have been something extra special. She untied the ribbon and opened the lid.

It was a brand-new brown Stetson hat.

She placed it on her head and looked herself in the mirror.

"It fits," thought Applejack with a grin. "Wait till the others see me."

And she hugged her parents before rushing out the door.

"I'll be back before supper!" she called back to them.

Then she was free to visit around. Applejack had two close friends, who lived in homes not very far from hers. One was a tomboyish athlete known as Rainbow Dash. The other was a cute shrinking violet, Fluttershy by name.

Applejack spotted Rainbow Dash a few yards away, walking through the orchard, quietly humming to herself and pausing every few paces to make sure that nobody was following her.

" _Four steps straight and then to the left, and right to the place where I marked it,_ " she sang. " _With a brand-new, Daring Do that I'll save for later, in my private, secret stash in the orchard._ "

Dash reached into a hole in the side of one of the apple trees and removed a pile of twigs from the hole, revealing a small stack of books hidden inside.

"Ah, a beautiful sight," she thought, admiring her collection.

At first, Dash abhorred reading. So much in fact that she considered it an "egghead hobby." It wasn't until after she landed in the hospital with a broken arm that she discovered the joy of reading.

With nothing else to do to pass the time, she picked up the very first Daring Do book and slowly became entranced. And as much as she hated to admit it, to herself or to anyone, she loved to read. But she kept it hidden from her friends.

Perish the thought if they knew she liked to read.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking, if Dash wanted to keep her love for reading a secret from her friends, why didn't she just keep the books in her own house?

Well, Dash had spent many days napping in the trees at Sweet Apple Acres and, remembering how comfortable they were, thought they would be the perfect place to curl up and read.

Suddenly, Dash was shaken from her thoughts by Applejack calling her name.

"Dash!" she called out. "Rainbow Dash!"

Thinking fast, Dash quickly leaned against the hole in the tree to hide her private stash.

"Hello, Dash," Applejack said as she walked proudly up to her friend.

"Oh! Oh, it's you, AJ," Rainbow Dash chuckled in relief.

"Notice anything different?"

"Uh, you've had a bath?"

"No,"

"Haircut?"

"Mm-mmm. Guess again,"

"Well, I don't... The hat!"

"You like it?"

"It must've been pretty expensive. Have you shown it to Fluttershy, yet?"

"No,"

"Well, you should. You know how she is about stuff like this,"

And they walked down the lane to a little cottage, surrounded by a multitude of burrows and birdhouses, secluded on the edge of the forest.

They found Fluttershy lying on the porch swing by her front door. They noticed the prickled brush by her hand and assumed that she must have been brushing her hair and fell asleep.

Now, I could try to go on and on about how cute Fluttershy can be, but words barely even begin to describe her. But in this particular instant, suffice it to say that even her snores were adorable.

"She's dreaming," Applejack whispered to Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah. Dreaming of the days when she was helping Dr. Fauna at the animal clinic. That was before..." Dash's voice trailed off.

"Before what?"

"I think it's time you knew the truth," Dash said. "It shouldn't've happened to her. But Fluttershy just lost her ability to stare. In fact, she lost _The Stare._ But we can't let on that we know. It would break her heart."

Fluttershy loved animals and she had once been an excellent caregiver. She just had a knack for it. Being kind to others came naturally to her. Almost as natural as Applejack's honesty. But somehow, she had just lost her ability to keep animals from acting up via her famous "Stare." Well, it wasn't what it used to be.

Suddenly, Fluttershy's eyes popped open and she bolted upright.

"Which way did he go?" she asked. "Which way did he go?"

"Go?" Dash repeated.

"Yeah. A raccoon, about eighteen inches long. No, twenty. Had a dark gray and black striped coat," She stopped and stared. "Applejack," she said. "Your hat."

"Do ya like it?"

"Yes. My, how times flies," Fluttershy said as she thought back on their childhood.

"Yeah," Dash agreed. "It seems like only yesterday the three of us were passing notes in Cheerilee's classroom. And now, we're three young women on the cusp of adulthood."

"That's right," said Fluttershy. "As Dr. Fauna used to say... I don't think I've ever mentioned Dr. Fauna before..."

"Yeah, you have," Rainbow Dash interjected. "Frequently."

"Oh, yeah..."

"Pa and Big Mac will be home soon," Applejack said as she waved goodbye to her friends and ran for Sweet Apple Acres. "I'll see ya'll later."

Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy spent many happy days playing together. But the best part of the day came toward the evening, when Applejack's father and brother came home from running errands in town. Applejack would run to meet them at the gate, and race Big Macintosh home. It took only a moment to reach the homestead, and then the family was together again, just the four of them—Bright Mac, Pear Butter, Big Macintosh and Applejack.

After dinner, Bright Mac helped Pear Butter wash the dishes as Applejack and Big Macintosh went up to bed.

"You know, Buttercup," Bright Mac said, "since we had Applejack, I'd say life is pretty complete."

"Yes," Pear Butter replied. "I can't imagine anything could take her place in our hearts."

Later that night, as Applejack lay in her bed, she couldn't help but think about how lucky she was.

She had it all. She had a roof over her head, plenty of food, a warm and soft bed to sleep in, a loving family, and good friends. All this added up to making Applejack the happiest girl in the world.

But her happy life was about to change.


	5. Spike

One autumn morning, a herd of dark clouds seemed to settle over the town. On the abandoned rail line next to the train station, a cocky orphan known around the town simply as "Spike" awoke in an abandoned boxcar as a locomotive let out a long, lonesome whistle.

He blinked a couple times, giving his emerald eyes a chance to adjust to the light. He crawled out of his crude bed made of straw, stretched out his arms and ran his fingers through his green hair.

He stepped out of the boxcar, grabbed a discarded bucket, and used it to collect some water that was trickling from the water tower overhead.

He dipped a stringy cloth into the bucket and rubbed himself down from hairline to shins, listening to the train's steam hissing and cogs chugging, as the cold bath stung the last cobwebs from his mind and his body.

He stared at his reflection in the tarnished glass of a mirror that was nailed to the telegraph post along the tracks. The face staring back was that of a lean, muscular young man with the body of a young athlete.

He smiled at himself in the mirror as he returned to the boxcar, picked his white collared shirt off the makeshift rack and buttoned it. He pulled on a pair of black slacks and a mulberry vest. Then he fumbled with the black ascot tie.

After he put on his shoes, he took a deep breath and shuddered.

"Yep. It's gonna be one of those days," he said to himself. "Well, time to dig up some breakfast."

As he trotted through town, he was greeted with a smile and a wave from everyone. And he would smile and wave back.

Spike didn't have a warm home and didn't know what it was like to belong to a loving family, but he was a good guy and he had a heart of gold. He liked to wander the streets, looking for scraps and helping his friends.

Little did he know that on this particular day, a bit of urgent news would take him to Sweet Apple Acres.

"Now. About that breakfast, let's see... Joe's? Mmm... Nah. Gustav le Grand... No, no. Nope. Too much starch. Ah! Pinkie's! I haven't been there in at least a week,"

Pinkie Pie's café. The place for very special occasions.

Once a little bakery, it quickly developed into the most popular restaurant in town. They served soup, salad, steaks, fries, beans, and ice cream as well as pastries (their specialty).

Pinkie was what some would call "a real foodie," but she especially loved desserts. She could never pass up a good pie, cake, or cupcake. And she always made sure to have a couple of leftovers on hand for Spike.

Spike could hear singing coming from the kitchen as he approached the back entrance. He knocked on the doorframe and a man with dark, curly brown hair and brilliant green eyes poked his head out of the open top half of the Dutch door.

"Well, hello, Spike!" he greeted him. "You here for breakfast? Okay, the boss girl has saved some nice cupcakes for you. Coming out from left field!"

He tossed it to Spike and Spike effortlessly caught it.

"Good catch!" he chuckled.

Spike thanked him for the cupcake and continued down the street, smiling at the shining Sun.

Just then, from the corner of one twinkling eye, Spike saw two guards in golden armor walking his way. Then, out of the corner of his other eye, he saw a paddy wagon coming down the other end of the street.

Spike ducked into the alley and kept out of sight.

He peeked around the corner and saw two prisoners in the back of the paddy wagon. The first was a tall, thin, elderly gentleman in a very colorful outfit that consisted of a brown suit coat, leather gloves (the left one white, the right one brown), slacks (the left leg was tan while the right leg was green), and leather shoes (the left one brown, and the right one white).

The other was a young woman with flaming red hair that shimmered like the sunset, and she wore a black leather jacket, an orange skirt and black boots.

Spike's gaze shifted to the guards and he watched one of them hand his spear and shield over to his ally. The guard then picked up a hammer and nails and proceeded to pin something to the fence.

After he'd finished, the guard took his weapons from his associate and they returned to their patrol.

Spike slowly emerged from the alley and read the sign that had been posted.

"Warning: Notice is hereby given that anyone under the age of 21 alone on the streets will be immediately imprisoned. By Order of Princess Celestia."

Spike stayed where he was, picked up a rock and threw it into the bushes across the street. The two guards on foot went over to inspect the bushes and Spike snuck towards the back of the paddy wagon.

"Hey! Psst! Psst!"

"Well, look, Sunset!" the man in the mismatched suit said as he nudged the redhead. "It's the Drake!"

"Shhh!" Spike shushed.

"Hi ya, handsome," the redhead, known as Sunset, flirted. "Come to join the party?"

"All right. Enough with the wisecracks! I've got to get you out," he said as he took one of Sunset's bobby pins from her hair and used it to pick the lock. "I'm telling you, the pressure's really on. Signs all over the country!"

He cracked the lock and opened the door.

"Thanks," Sunset said.

"You're all right, kid," the tall man added.

"Okay, get going," Spike told them.

"Hey! What's going on over there?" came a shout.

"Scram!" Spike exclaimed. "And be careful!"

As they scrambled out, Spike ran past the guards, knocking their helmets off their heads.

Spike was one jump ahead of the guards as he rounded the corner down the road that led to the countryside.

Along the road, Spike saw a herd of cattle. He jumped over the fence, miraculously did _not_ land in a cow pie, and hid among the cows until the guards gave up the chase and marched back to town.

"Thanks for the cover, gals," Spike told the cattle as he picked himself up, dusted himself off and returned to the road, judging his new surroundings as he went. "I'll bet they've got at least fifteen trees to one animal here. Oh! And a fence around every field. Well," he said with a cock of his head, "as long as I'm here, I may as well have a look around. I wonder what the locals do for excitement."

And his feet led him down the lane to the farm where Applejack lived.


	6. A Sad Day for Applejack

Applejack was sitting on the swing that hung from the tree closest to her house when Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy came to visit, slowly rocking herself back and forth.

"AJ!" Rainbow Dash called out. "AJ!"

"Applejack!" Fluttershy said in a voice no louder than a whisper. "Oh, Applejack!"

Applejack was in a very sad state when they arrived. They saw tears in her eyes. They had never seen Applejack cry. Ever.

"Applejack," Fluttershy asked as she approached her friend, "is something wrong?"

"Yeah, tell us!" Rainbow Dash added, clenching her fists. "If somebody's been mistreating you-!"

"No, Dash," Applejack replied, looking down. "It's something _I've_ done."

"You?" Fluttershy asked, quite surprised.

"It must be. Ma and Pa have been acting so..."

Applejack stopped herself when she heard her mother humming from the kitchen window. She got up from the swing and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy followed her around to the far side of the barn.

As they walked, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy couldn't help but wonder why anybody would be mad at Applejack.

They knew that Applejack had a great life, but AJ had noticed that things slowly begun to change.

"All right, AJ," Dash said. "Get on with the details."

"Well, I first noticed it the other day when Pa came home after running in to town," she began sadly.

Applejack had been out picking in the orchard, as usual, when she heard the schoolhouse bell echo across the fields. That was the signal that her Pa was close to home. She had run out to meet him, like she always did, and he rushed by without even acknowledging her.

 _"Buttercup!" he called out as he entered the house. "Buttercup, are you all right?"_

 _"Of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be?"_

 _"I just wanted to make sure you are okay,"_

 _"You worry too much," she replied._

 _"I just_ can't help _but worry," he told her. "After all, in your condition, alone here all day with the kids and that dog."_

"'The kids!'" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"'That dog?'" Fluttershy repeated.

"He's never called us that before," Applejack said.

Her friends were shocked, but they tried to make light of it.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, AJ," Dash said, trying to sound as cheerful as she could. "I mean, there's a reason why there's a saying, 'we are only human,' after all."

"But now, Ma is... Well, we've always enjoyed our time together. But now, she won't even come out to check on me while I'm picking in the orchards."

She recalled an incident that occurred the day before, when Winona picked up a ball of soft yarn (thinking it was a normal ball) and got ready for a game, and Pear Butter said, _"Drop that, Winona! Drop it, I said!"_ And she struck Winona.

Winona nuzzled Applejack's leg and looked up at her with warm eyes as if to reassure her, "It really didn't hurt."

"She just spends all her time knitting," Applejack went on as she scratched Winona behind her ears. "We haven't really talked in days."

It had been like this for almost two weeks. Her father didn't pay much attention to her, and her mother seemed to be more interested in the tiny clothes she was making.

Applejack didn't understand what was happening. She thought about asking Big Macintosh if he knew what was going on, but she remembered that her brother was a man of very few words, so she figured she wouldn't get much out of him even if she _did_ ask.

"What could I have done wrong?" she asked her friends. "And what's all this talk about a 'happy event'?"

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy exchanged a knowing look. Then they looked back at Applejack.

"Well, Applejack," Fluttershy began. "Your mother's going to have a baby!"

"A baby?" Applejack asked, like she didn't know what a baby was.

"Well," Rainbow Dash said, staring thoughtfully, "they look a lot like us."

"Only much smaller," Fluttershy added.

"They walk on all fours—"

"And they cry a lot,"

"And they're very expensive," Rainbow Dash warned. "And you won't be allowed to play with it."

"But they're mighty sweet," Fluttershy admitted with a smile.

"And very, very soft," said Dash.

"Oh, yeah!" a new voice chimed in. "They're just a cute little bundle... of trouble!"


	7. Spike's Point of View

Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack all whirled around in alarm to see who had spoken. While they had been talking, a stranger had entered the yard.

This stranger was a cocky young man with green hair and emerald eyes, dressed in a white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a mulberry vest with a silver pocket watch draped across the front, a pair of black slacks and black leather shoes. But the thing that really caught their eyes was the crude black mark of a dragon tattooed on his left forearm.

It was Spike, who swaggered up to join the group.

"Who is this guy?" they all thought. "Look at him! He may dress well, but... That mark! He's a Dragon!"

"I'm sorry for eavesdropping," the stranger went on, "but a baby is the worst thing that could ever happen to you. They scratch, pinch, pull hair, jump on your back... But shucks, anyone can take that. It's what they do to your happy home. Excuse me," he said, brushing Rainbow Dash aside. "Homewreckers! That's what they are!"

Rainbow Dash had heard rumors about this character. That he was a homeless orphan and that he'd always been on the run from the guards. But she also recognized the mark on his arm: it was the mark of the Dragon street gang. Every member had one.

And Rainbow Dash did not like them. At all.

"And _who_ do you think you are?" she demanded.

"The voice of experience," Spike replied, rather calmly. "Just you wait," he told Applejack. "You'll see what happens when junior gets here. Your dog here gets the urge for a nice, comfortable scratch and... _'Put that dog out! It'll get fleas all over the baby!'_ " he said in a mock womanly voice. "She starts barking at some stranger... _'Stop that racket! You'll wake the baby!'_ "

Winona cocked her head, her expression almost comically serious, like she knew what Spike was talking about.

"And then!" Spike went on. "Then they hit you in the room and board department! Remember those _nice,_ juicy cuts of meat your pa used to bring home? Forget 'em! Tighten your belt and make room in the budget for all that baby food! And that nice, warm, cozy bedroom you had all to yourself? Get ready for lots of sleepless nights with a lot of crying because if it's a girl, she's your new roommate... unless you don't mind sleeping in the barn."

An image of sleeping in the hayloft with Winona during a thunderstorm popped into Applejack's mind.

"They take up all the parents' attention, and worst of all, your folks start to care about you less and less. It ruins your life. I'm sorry, but I've seen it happen too many times," he finished.

Though Spike had no family of his own, he seemed to know quite a lot about babies—and none of it was good.

Applejack tried hard to fight back a sob. This guy's words stung. He might as well have said, "Leave this place behind and skedaddle out of here!"

"Don't listen to him, AJ!" Rainbow Dash said. "Nobody is _**that**_ cruel!"

"Of course not," Fluttershy put in. "They would never do that."

"Oh, come on!" Spike said in disbelief. "Don't tell me you've fallen for _that_ old lie, have you?"

"Yeah. And we have no room for Dragons and their _radical_ ideas!" Rainbow Dash growled. "Now, beat it!"

"Okay, Rainbow Hair,"

"The name's Rainbow Dash!"

"Okay, okay! I can take a hint," he said as he turned to leave. "But remember this," he warned Applejack. "A parent's heart has only _so_ much room for love and affection. You mark my words: when the baby moves in—the others. Move. Out!"

And he was gone in a flash.


	8. Apple Bloom

Applejack had a long time to worry—all through the long, dreary winter months. And although Spike's words worried her, she couldn't believe her parents would ever be unkind.

"Buttercup, there isn't any way we can tell for sure what it's going to be, is there?" asked Bright Mac.

He was hoping it would be a boy while Pear Butter was already picking out names if it were to be a girl.

"I'm afraid not," she replied. "Nobody ever knows for certain. All we can do is hope."

Then, came the whacky cravings.

One night, at three in the morning, Applejack awoke to the sound of her father, still in his pajamas, putting on his boots and winter coat. He opened the front door and was greeted by the howling wind of the January snowstorm.

He quickly slammed the door shut and called up the stairs, "Buttercup! Are you sure you want _watermelon?_ "

"Mm-hmm," Pear Butter replied. "Oh, and some chop suey too!"

"Chop sue... Oh," he sighed, "all right, Buttercup."

And he marched out and into the storm.

A few days later, the farm was buzzing with activity. People came and went, bringing presents.

Applejack remained upstairs, not wanting to disturb the guests, but she could hear the conversations clear as day.

In the parlor, the women were constantly fawning over her mother.

"What darling little booties!" one woman said.

"And that bonnet," said a second.

"Isn't it just too adorable?" asked a third.

"Pear Butter, I've never seen you more beautiful," said the fourth.

"Isn't she radiant?" asked the fifth.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the men were laughing and having fun at her father's expense.

"Aw, Bright Mac, you look terrible!"

"Absolutely horrible!" confirmed a second.

"I never saw you look worse!" added a third.

"Cheer up, Bright Mac. Old Doc Time Turner hasn't lost a father yet!"

At last, one rainy and windy night in April, the baby came.

* * *

Applejack sat in the waiting room at the hospital with her brother, like he and Granny Smith had all those years ago. It was all they could do: sit and wait.

And she was scared. Scared and nervous.

She had been listening to her parents talk back and forth for months, saying that everything would be all right. She knew they were excited.

But Applejack was afraid. She was afraid that when the new baby came, all her hopes and dreams and happiness would be smothered, crushed, even buried.

She felt like the light in her life would go out on her.

She could do nothing but watch as they wheeled her mother to the delivery room. Just like her brother had.

 _"She's strong and healthy,"_ Nurse Redheart had told them. _"She'll be perfectly fine. I promise."_

Now there was a stranger in her parents' room, and Applejack and Big Macintosh weren't allowed inside.

Finally, Bright Mac burst through the doors to the maternity wing and ran for the telephone. He dialed Granny Smith to tell her the news.

"That's right, Mom, it's a girl. Uh-huh, a girl. Red hair. And... What's that? Eyes? What color are they? Oh, gosh. I can't believe I-I forgot to look!"

Bright Mac dropped the phone and started running up and down the halls, cheering in euphoria. He bumped into the doctor, who was exhausted after going through the delivery.

"A girl. It's a girl, it's a... Doc, it's a girl!" Bright Mac shouted excitedly.

"Yes... I know," the doctor responded wearily.

"A girl. Oh boy, oh boy! Another girl! It's a girl, it's a girl, it's a girl!"

"Hello? Hello, son?" came Granny Smith's voice over the phone. "Are you there, son? Central, we've been cut off. Hello? Hello? Hello!"

Remembering he had let the phone drop, Bright Mac composed himself, picked it up, and said, "You've got another granddaughter."

He hung the phone up and turned to face his children.

"Come on, you two," he said. "There's someone I'd like you to meet."

They followed their father into the maternity ward and he led them to a door at the end of the hall.

He opened the door and ushered them inside.

At first, all Applejack could see was a strange wrapped-up shape in her mother's arms. But there was a smile on Pear Butter's lips, and a softness in her eyes. And when she spoke, she spoke softly and often sang sweet songs.

"There, now. Little Apple Bloom," she said. "Dream on."

When Applejack saw her new baby sister, she couldn't help but think how wrong Spike had been. For not only did she still have her parents' love, she now had one more person to cherish and protect.

"She's not awful," AJ thought happily. "She's not awful at all. In fact, she's kinda cute. Perhaps we'll be friends."


	9. Strange Visitors

A few months later, life in the Apple family household had almost returned to normal. Everything was fine. But not for long.

Applejack began to think that Apple Bloom might be something sweet—if only she was a little older. They could be friends and play! Perhaps it might have worked out that way soon, if only her parents _and_ Big Macintosh had not been called away!

Applejack listened as her father threw clothing into a suitcase.

"That should do it," he said to himself. "We've got enough here to take us halfway across the country."

After he forced the suitcase shut, he walked down the hall to Apple Bloom's room, where Pear Butter was.

"Buttercup," he whispered. "Buttercup! We don't have much time."

"I can't just leave her," Pear Butter said. "She's still so small."

"She'll be fine. Now, come on. If she wakes up, we'll never get away,"

"I just feel guilty deserting her like this,"

"Nonsense,"

As Bright Mac and Pear Butter walked downstairs, Big Macintosh knocked on the door to Applejack's room before he entered.

He saw his sister sitting on her bed, looking out the window. And he knew, from the look on her face, that something was bothering her.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"They're running out on her. _You're_ running out on her!" she replied.

"We are not running out on her, AJ. We're not running out on either of you. We'll be back in a few days. And we'll be bringing Granny Smith back with us when we do,"

Just then, the front door shook under a torrent of bangs.

"Oh no," Big Mac said. "That's probably _her._ "

"Who?" Applejack asked.

"The babysitter," Big Mac groaned.

Applejack was taken aback by this. She was eighteen-years-old. She was old enough that she didn't need a babysitter. And she was certainly old enough that she could take care of Apple Bloom until her parents and Big Macintosh returned.

She followed her brother downstairs as their father opened the front door, and a stern-faced woman marched in with a suitcase, leaving a stack of other luggage on the porch for Big Macintosh to bring in.

"Sorry I'm late," she said. "I haven't kept you waiting, have I?"

"I'll put your bags away for you," Big Macintosh offered.

"No need for that. You just go or you'll miss your train,"

"Applejack, this is Miss Harshwhinny," said Pear Butter. "She's going to look after you and Apple Bloom while we and Big Macintosh visit Granny Smith."

Applejack kept her distance from Miss Harshwhinny.

She didn't know what it was, but Applejack got the feeling that Miss Harshwhinny did not like her at all. But Applejack didn't mind. Her own dislike of Miss Harshwhinny was very mutual.

As their parents rushed toward the waiting cab, Big Macintosh managed to have one last talk with Applejack.

"We'll only be gone for the weekend," he reassured her again. "Miss Harshwhinny is only here to help. I know it's going to be rough, but it won't be long. Don't worry. And remember, I'm depending on you, sis. We're all counting on you to watch over and take care of Apple Bloom while we're away. Remember what Pa and I have told you, 'with a whole lot of power comes a heck of a lot of responsibility.'"

Applejack nodded before giving her brother one last hug.

"Goodbye," she said.

"I'll be back," he replied. "I promise."

Applejack watched as her parents and Big Mac walked out to the buggy.

Then they were gone.

Applejack knew her job. She was going to take care of Apple Bloom.

She tiptoed upstairs to Apple Bloom's room and peeked carefully into her crib. She was still sleeping. Then Applejack sat down in the rocking chair, within a few feet of the crib.

Not for long, though.

"What are you doing?" Applejack heard Miss Harshwhinny's voice.

"My job!" Applejack stated, trying not to return the anger that was just shown to her.

"Get out," snapped Miss Harshwhinny.

Instead of giving Harshwhinny the _pleasure_ of hustling her out of the room, and not wanting the sounds of an argument to wake Apple Bloom, Applejack got up and walked downstairs of her own accord.

She returned to the front hall and there, still waiting by the door, stood Miss Harshwhinny's bags. And Winona was giving them an experimental sniff.

There was something peculiar in the air—an unpleasant odor to Winona. One she did not recognize or understand. She sniffed again. Then she looked at the front door and started to growl. It wasn't Timberwolves. It was something else.

Applejack patted her leg and drew Winona away from the door.

"The only way things could be worse is if Harshwhinny had brought friends along," Applejack thought.

Suddenly, a silken hand patted Applejack's shoulder from behind.

Applejack jumped and spun around.

Three bold, and very fashionably dressed, young women had come in through the front door! They looked crafty. And they _were_ crafty. Not only that, they were sly, sleek, nasty and tricky as could be.

They sneered at Applejack, and then they started to sing.

"We are dazzling if you please!" they chanted. "We are dazzling if you don't please!"

They walked through the main hall and went into different rooms.

"Now we're looking over our new domicile... If we like, we'll stay for maybe quite a while..."

Their leader, Adagio, walked into the parlor and made a shambles of it. She knocked things off the mantel, she scratched the table legs, and she jumped up and down on the sofa. Meanwhile, the other two, Aria and Sonata, went into the kitchen and Sonata started to dance on the table while Aria opened the cupboards.

While Applejack was trying to stop Adagio, Aria smashed several jam jars. Then Sonata started to chase Winona, but AJ managed to protect her.

"Stop that!" shouted Applejack.

The three girls took over the house in no time, and proceeded to destroy as much as possible.

When the three girls headed for the stairs, however, Applejack raced ahead to stop them from entering Apple Bloom's room. They tried to run by her, but AJ stopped them in their tracks with a threatening growl.

She chased them down the stairs and into the kitchen. Adagio and Aria tripped Applejack while Sonata opened the refrigerator door. AJ fell and tumbled into the shelves of the fridge, and got covered in cherry jam and grape jelly.

Miss Harshwhinny heard the commotion and came rushing down.

"What's going on down there?" she shouted.

These three girls were awful! They had wrecked the entire main floor—but when Miss Harshwhinny came down, they made it seem that Applejack had made the mess and they had been little angels!

She wrapped her arms around the three girls as she helped them upstairs.

"Merciful heavens! You poor girls," she cooed into their ears. "That wicked child! Attacking you poor, innocent girls."

Tears filled Applejack's eyes as she got to her feet.

She couldn't take anymore!

She didn't wait for Miss Harshwhinny to return to deal out her punishment.

She threw the screen door open, fled the house and ran out of the yard.

Applejack was blamed for everything: ruining the furniture, breaking the jars, and the mess in the kitchen, when she was trying to stop the Dazzlings. And when they were chasing Winona—it was AJ who got the blame.

Everything was just as Spike had said.

But the worst was still to come.


	10. The Wrong Side of the Tracks

As she ran, all Applejack could think about was her parents and Big Macintosh and how they had left her.

"Why did they leave me here alone like this?" she thought as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Applejack was so upset that she ran without looking where she was going.

She didn't pay attention to where she was going and she didn't care. She just wanted to get as far away from Miss Harshwhinny as possible.

It wasn't long before Applejack found herself in town. Horns blared and tires screeched as she raced blindly through the crowded streets, in between passing cars.

Up one street and down another until she found herself lost—across the railroad tracks and in a very bad part of town. She ran down a dim and quiet alley, stumbling over trashcans, and attracting some very unwanted attention.

She heard the angry growls of a group of three big, mean Dragons. They saw her run by and, thinking she would be easy game for them, started to chase after her. When she heard the Dragons behind her, Applejack ran even faster.

Spike, who was nearby, also heard the Dragons, and turned just in time to see what was happening.

"I've got to help her!" he thought as he took off after them.

The three Dragons continued to chase after Applejack, until they had her trapped in a blind alley.

When Spike caught up with the Dragons, he saw Applejack cornered by the three snarling thugs. She hid behind a stack of barrels and shook with fright.

The other Dragons inched closer, but before they could harm Applejack, Spike jumped between her and them. Spike, now dressed in a basic T-shirt, blue jeans and a black leather jacket, snarled at them, baring his teeth, and they froze at the sight of him.

"Why don't you pick on somebody your own size, Garble?" Spike shouted.

"Like you, pipsqueak?" the leader replied.

The three guys were each a useful size. The shortest, and lightest, was an inch over six feet tall and maybe an ounce under two hundred pounds. But they all had bruised knuckles and thick wrists, and they were looking for a fight.

Their leader, Garble, had thirty pounds and three inches on Spike, and the third guy had more than that. Ultimately, it was going to be their cumulative six hundred pounds against his one hundred and eighty. Not great odds, but no real cause for concern. Spike had first fought three-on-one when he was five years old, against seven-year-olds. He had won then, easily, and he intended to win now.

Spike stood with his hands down by his sides, his feet apart, securely planted on the ground. Tensed up and ready, but not visibly. The others stood in a wide semicircle and crouched, fists ready.

Garble and his boys weren't armed, Spike was pretty sure about that. Plenty of members of the Dragon street gang had private weapons, but generally pulled them at the start of a fight, not later on. They wanted to display them. Show them off. Intimidate, from the get-go. Nobody in Spike's experience had ever waited to pull a weapon.

So, unarmed combat, three-on-one.

Spike rehearsed his next moves.

He spun and hurled a fistful of dirt at the three thugs. As they raised their hands to shield their eyes, Spike charged the guy in the middle, Garble, and smashed his elbow flat against the bridge of the Garble's nose. Garble went down and before he hit the ground, Spike jerked sideways and put the same elbow into the big guy's ear. Then he bounced away from the impact, backed into the skinny guy and buried the elbow deep in his gut. The skinny guy folded forward and Spike put his hand flat on the back of the guy's head, powered it downward into his raised knee, and then shoved the guy away and turned around fast.

Spike ducked under the inevitable roundhouse kick incoming from Garble, let him follow through, and put an elbow in his gut. The big guy launched forward with a wild grimace on his face. Spike danced two steps and took a left hook to the shoulder (it was a weak punch) and put a straight right into the center of the grimace. The big guy stumbled back and shook his head as Spike snapped a reverse headbutt that made solid contact with the skinny guy's face.

Not as good as a forward blow, but useful.

They weren't total amateurs. They reacted well and they reacted fast.

Spike fought like an animal. Growling, biting and barking, he fought off Applejack's would-be attackers.

He accelerated backwards and crushed the breath out of the skinny guy against the alley wall, some bricks smashed and loosened and Spike dodged an incoming right from the big guy and snapped one of his own to the guy's jaw.

Not a powerful blow, but it rocked the guy enough to open him up for a colossal left to the throat that put him down when Spike grabbed the guy by his shirt and threw him into a stack of barrels that crushed under his weight.

Almost a dozen blows delivered, one taken, one guy down.

Time to get serious.

The skinny was rolling around on the ground, holding one hand to his face, whimpering. Spike kicked him in the ribs hard enough that he broke a couple of them and then forced the guy's forearm to the ground with one foot and stomped on it with the other.

Spike stepped back and glanced at Garble, who straightened like they were in a timeout.

Then Garble put his hands in his pants pockets and came out with two switchblades. Neat wooden handles, pleated bindings, plated buttons. He stood in the dusty alley, panting, and popped the first blade with a precision _click_ and then paused and popped the second.

Spike's stomach clenched.

The two small clicks were not attractive sounds.

He hated knives. He would have preferred it if Garble had pulled a gun, or even a pair of guns. Guns can miss. And given enough stress and pressure, they usually did.

Knives didn't miss. If they touched, they cut. The only opponents Spike truly feared were small whippy guys with fast hands and sharp blades. Garble was neither fast nor nimble, but with knives in his hands dodged blows would not mean dull impacts to the shoulders. They would mean open wounds, pouring blood, and severed arteries.

Not good.

The best defense against knives was distance. And the best countermove was entanglement. A swung net or a blanket was often effective. The blade would get hung up in the fabric. But Spike didn't have a net or a blanket.

Garble took a breath and started swinging, the blades hissing through the air and winking in the light.

Spike danced backward as Garble swung the blades through tiny arcs. Spike backed off, grabbed a wooden crate and threw it high and hard. Garble flinched and jerked his arms up. The crate bounced off his elbows and Spike stepped in. He jabbed hard and caught Garble low in the side, below the ribs, above the waist.

Nothing but soft tissue.

Garble's body froze and went rigid as his face crumpled. He dropped both knives and clamped both hands down on his stomach. For a long moment, he stood like a statue and then jerked forward from the waist, bent down, and puked a long stream of blood. He staggered away and fell to his knees. His shoulders sagged and his face went white.

"Let's get out of here!" the skinny guy yelped.

And all three of them turned and slunk off like a bunch of dogs with their tails between their legs.

The alley went silent. No sound, except Spike's breathing.

Spike spat and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He had won a three-on-one brawl and he had nothing to show for it except one bruised shoulder and an ache in his knuckles. It had gone way better than he could have hoped.

He forced himself back under control and picked up the fallen knives. He pressed the blades back into their handles against the brick of the alley wall and slipped them into his pants pockets. Then he turned and approached Applejack.

"Hey, what are you doing on this side of the tracks?" he asked, still panting.

That's when he recognized her.

Her heart still pounding in her chest, Applejack looked up at Spike. He had just been in a fight, and yet he looked handsome to her. So strong and so brave.

"I'm sorry you had to see that-" he said.

She traced a finger over his cheek. Then she finally broke down and cried. She buried her face into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her and slowly began to rub her back.

"Oh, there, there," he said in a gentle tone. "Let it out."

As her head rested on his chest, she could hear his heart beat. He stopped rubbing her back and she tilted her head back to look up at him. His eyes said everything to her. Every glint of those emerald orbs was a promise that she was going to be all right.

As he held her in his arms, she couldn't help but take in his scent. He smelt like brimstone and spices. It was nice, and she felt safe.

"Here. Take my jacket," he said as he wrapped it around her. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name is Spike. Now, tell me what happened."

So, Applejack told him the whole, sad story.


	11. Carousel Boutique

Spike led Applejack back to the nicer part of town and she told him about the baby, the Dazzlings and Miss Harshwhinny.

"Say no more," he told her. "Babies, harsh women, sirens... Well, that's what happens when you tie yourself down."

"You don't have a family?" she asked.

"One for every day of the week. But none of them have _me,_ "

She didn't understand.

"Come on. I'll show you what I mean," He pointed to a large building. "Now, take Twilight Sparkle at the Library here. Little Spike, that's me, makes this his Monday home."

"Monday home?"

"Oh, yeah. Mondays are my day to help Twilight shelve books,"

He then led her to a large, cylindrical-shaped building with decorative pillars that bore a striking resemblance to a merry-go-round, complete with pony sculptures lining the lower and upper exterior.

"Now, Carousel Boutique here is where _Spikey-Wikey_ , me again, comes every Tuesday to model Miss Rarity's line of men's suits,"

As they walked, Applejack noticed that Spike seemed to be known and welcomed everywhere they went.

"You see, AJ, when you're footloose and fancy-free, you take nothing but the best," he said. "Now, let's see about getting you a dress."

"A dress?" she asked.

"Well, you can't walk around town looking like that," he said, motioning to her torn and dirty clothes. "Come on."

Spike could tell that she was hesitant. Applejack had never been inside a dress shop before, but she'd had a terrible day and he wanted to cheer her up. And Applejack didn't know what Spike had in mind or what to expect, but she trusted him, and so she followed him.

He opened the door to the Carousel Boutique and stood off to the side.

"Ladies first," he said.

The room they stepped into was large, lined with mirrors and mannequins, and on those mannequins—were the most incredible clothes Applejack had ever seen. Never in her wildest dreams had AJ imagined that clothes came in such a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. And even though all of them were nice, they just didn't seem to be for her—until the shop's owner came down from upstairs.

She was a lovely young woman with wavy hair and long eyelashes. She was wearing a white blouse with a formal collar that was open three buttons (prim and sexy, at the same time) a purple skirt with matching boots, and a pair of tiny sewing glasses that rested on the tip of her nose.

If anyone was meant to make others look and/or feel fabulous, it was her.

"Hi, Rarity," Spike said.

Rarity was surprised.

"Spikey-Wikey!" she replied, wrapping her arms around him in a warm hug. "What brings you by?"

"I was hoping you could give me a hand—or should I say a dress?"

He stepped aside and motioned to Applejack.

Rarity shrieked.

"Darling! What happened to you?"

"Long story short," Spike interjected. "I got into another fight, defending her from some hoods."

"Say no more," Rarity said as she walked up to Applejack and looked her over. "Hmm. Let's see," She pulled out her measuring tape and took Applejack's measurements. "Height: five-foot-eleven and seven-sixteenth inches, bust: 39, waist: 28, and hips: 38... Oh, this should be no problem. A few cuts here and there and I'll have her looking like a princess! Maybe a jeweled neckline..."

"Nothing too girly," Applejack said.

"Well, it's your dress," Rarity replied as Applejack stepped onto the small display stage. "Now, hold still."

Spike pulled up a chair and took a seat, and Applejack stood as still as she could while Rarity fit a pattern on her, and AJ told the seamstress her tale of woe.

"And I don't know what to do next," she said when she had finished.

"Well, you can't go home," Spike said. "At least not right now."

"He's right, darling," Rarity agreed. "You go back now and you'll be sliding into more trouble. Stay away for a few hours, let them worry!" she said almost dramatically. "Just give Miss Harshwhinny a chance to cool down."

While she had been talking, Rarity walked over to one of the shelves and selected a roll of white lace fabric. She unrolled the textile and laid it flat. Then she placed the pattern on top and followed the trace lines, her sharp scissors cutting furiously through the fabric.

After she'd finished cutting, she threaded her needle and started sewing.

She began with the sides of the dress, turning the fabric inside-out and folding it a quarter inch over on either side, and using the iron to flatten it out. Then, using a zigzag stitch, she began to sew the front and the back together, and a top stitch to attach the newly formed seam to the body.

Then she started sewing the neckline. She folded over another quarter inch of fabric along the edge and ironed it flat. Then, using a straight stitch along the collar, she sewed the edges into place (this was to keep them from fraying).

As Rarity hemmed and sewed, she debated with herself on how deep the neckline should plunge. Then she added the hem on the bottom of the dress, folding over another quarter inch of fabric and ironing it, and used a straight stitch to attach the folded edge to the bottom of the dress, holding it in place.

Once he was certain that Rarity was all but completely occupied with her work, Spike turned to Applejack and whispered, "Have dinner with me."

Applejack was stunned by this. Already this guy had protected her from a gang of thugs, gone out of his way to get her a new outfit, and now he was asking her on a date.

Applejack had never known anyone so masterful aside from her Pa.

"I'll treat you to dinner and I'll show you the town,"

She smiled and nodded.

Rarity knew her job well. And with one final snip, the dress was done.

Spike glanced at Rarity, then said, "Well, I'll leave you ladies to it."

He stepped behind a screen room divider and removed his jacket and shirt. He hesitated a second and then slipped off his jeans.

Rarity returned to Applejack and, after seeing Spike duck behind the screen, helped Applejack disrobe and pulled the dress over her head.

"There!" Rarity said.

Applejack turned and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She almost didn't recognize herself. It was like she was looking at a whole other person.

The dress hugged her body perfectly from shoulders to hips.

"Oh!" Applejack cried. "It's beautiful! Oh, thank you!" she said, hugging the seamstress in gratitude. "I don't know how I can ever repay you!"

"Think nothing of it, darling," Rarity replied with a gracious curtsey. "It was my pleasure."

Spike raked his fingers through his hair, checked the result in the mirror, and deemed it acceptable. Finally, he emerged from behind the screen.

He was dressed in a new white collared shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a double-breasted mulberry vest, black slacks, a tie, and leather shoes. The same outfit Applejack had first seen him in, only much nicer.

He turned to look at Applejack, and his eyes went wide and his jaw dropped.

She was dressed in a simple white sundress and her brown boots. She wasn't wearing her hat, and her long golden hair was not tied. Instead, it fell freely over her shoulders, to just below her breasts, in a gentle curl.

She looked stunning. Breathtaking.

He stared at her for several long seconds before he shook himself out of his trance.

"Thank you, Rarity," he and Applejack both said. They looked at each other and shared a laugh before adding, "How much do I owe you?"

"Keep it," Rarity said. "It's all yours."

"I can? Really?" Applejack asked. "Thank you."

Rarity nodded and Applejack hugged her again.

"Shall we go?" Spike asked.

Applejack nodded and she walked with Spike out of the store.


	12. Spaghetti for Two

After leaving Carousel Boutique, Spike led Applejack to a quaint little restaurant.

"You look beautiful," he said as they walked.

"Do I?" she asked.

"The prettiest view in Equestria,"

"You're flattering me,"

"Not really,"

"You look good, too," she said.

"That's flattery for sure,"

"No, you clean up well,"

"I try my best,"

Spike stopped to sniff the air. He could smell a variety of aromas coming from the café's kitchen.

"I hope you like Italian," he said as he guided her to the back of the building. "This way. I have my own private entrance."

Spike approached the door and rapped his knuckles against the doorframe.

"Just a minute, I'm a-coming!"

A giggly, raspberry-haired girl with light cerulean blue eyes walked up to the door and looked around.

"What's the-Somebody's making a-"

"Pinkie, over here!"

"Hello, Spiiike! What a surprise!" beamed Pinkie Pie as she stepped out to greet him. "Where've you been so long? Hey, Cheese, look who's here!"

A tall man with curly brown hair appeared beside Pinkie.

"Well, what do you know? It's Spike!"

"Hey, where've you been, ya young pup?" Pinkie laughed as she hugged Spike repeatedly. "Cheese, bring Spike some cake before he eats me up!"

"Okay, Pinkie. One order of cake coming up,"

"So, dinner for one tonight, Spike?" Pinkie asked.

"Not this time, Pinkie," Spike said. "Tonight, it will be dinner for two."

" _Two?_ "

"Pinkie, there's someone I'd like you to meet," said Spike.

Pinkie caught Applejack's gaze and smiled warmly.

"Ahh! And who is your _bella fidanzata?_ " Pinkie asked.

"What's a _bella fidanzata_?" thought Applejack.

"Hey, Cheese, look! Spike's got a new girlfriend!"

"Son of a gun!" Cheese exclaimed.

Pinkie was delighted to see Spike with such a lovely young lady.

"She's pretty sweet, Spike," she said. "You take my advice and settle down with _this one,_ eh?" she added in a whisper.

"'This one?'" Applejack repeated.

"Oh, that's Pinkie Pie," Spike replied. "Always such a kidder."

Pinkie fixed a table for the young couple with breadsticks and candlelight.

"Here's the cake, Pinkie," Cheese Sandwich said.

"Okay, cake. Cake!? What's a-matter with you, Cheese Sandwich? I break-a your face! Tonight, my man Spike, he gets the best in the house!"

"Okay, Pinkie! You're the boss!"

"Now, tell me, what's your pleasure?" she asked as she handed them a menu. "Al a carte? Dinner?"

Spike barely glanced at the menu after he'd unfolded it and said firmly, "Spaghetti special!"

"Ah-ha! Okay! Hey, Cheese!" Pinkie shouted. "Spike, he says-a he wants-a two _spaghetti speciale!_ Heavy on the meats-a-ball!"

"But Pinkie-!" Cheese called from the kitchen.

" **HE'S A-TALKING TO ME!** " Pinkie shouted, almost menacingly.

"Okay, he's a-talking to you! You the boss! _Mama Mia..._ " he grumbled as he dished out a plate of pasta, thick with sauce.

"Here you are," Pinkie said. "The best spaghetti in Equestria!"

Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich were real romantics when they weren't arguing. Soon Spike and Applejack were eating a delicious dinner. It was the best meal either of them had had for weeks. And while they ate, Cheese Sandwich serenaded them with his accordion while Pinkie sang a love song.

This was all very new to Applejack, but she was enjoying herself.

As Spike and AJ nibbled at their spaghetti, they didn't notice that they were sharing the same noodle until they reached the middle and their lips met in a kiss!

Applejack turned away as a blush appeared across her cheeks and rose to the tips of her ears. She glanced back at Spike and saw that he had a smile on his face.

The pasta almost gone, Pinkie took their plate and returned to the kitchen.

After dinner, they went to a concert in the park—Applejack's first; they had wonderful seats in the front row.

After the concert, the full moon came out and Spike took Applejack for a romantic stroll through the park. And since it was spring and the night was warm, and they were young, time passed all too quickly.

When they came to a patch of wet cement, Spike drew a big heart in the middle with his finger and wrote his name inside it. Applejack did the same.

AJ gazed fondly at Spike. She couldn't help but marvel at him. He was so different. And she liked it.

"He's not so bad," she thought as they walked across the bridge. "He may not have a home like me, but there's something special about him."

She was falling in love with him.

And in that moment, Applejack knew that the rugged street savvy boy was the one she wanted to be with forever.

The happy pair walked to the top of a hill overlooking the town.

The moon was high in the sky when the two snuggled together under a tree as they gazed up at the silvery orb and eventually fell asleep under the stars. Each dreamed of the other.

It truly was a beautiful night.


	13. The Next Morning

When Applejack awoke the next morning, the warm rays of dawn caught her by surprise. She was shocked to realize she had spent the whole night away from home. It was late.

"Oh, dear!" she exclaimed.

"Is something wrong?" Spike asked her.

"It's morning,"

"So it is,"

"I should have been home hours ago,"

"Why? Because you still believe in that 'old faithful' routine? Look, they've given you a pretty rough time. You don't owe them a thing. Why go back at all? Open up your eyes,"

"Open my eyes?"

"To what life can _really_ be! Come on," he said, leading her back up the hill. "Look down there. Tell me what you see."

"Well, I see homes. Nice houses, with yards, fences..."

"Exactly! Life boxed in! Now, look again," he said, pointing to the hills beyond the town. "There's a whole other world out there with no fence around it! Where two people can find adventure and excitement! Beyond those distant hills... who knows what wonderful experiences? And it's all ours for the taking!"

"It sounds wonderful," she admitted.

"But...?" he ventured.

"It leaves out just one thing—a family I promised to watch over and protect. Who will if I'm not there?"

Spike had no answer for that. He did not believe in having to do anything, having to be anywhere or having to answer to anyone.

He loved his freedom, but he couldn't bring himself to come between Applejack and her family.

"I guess we're just _too_ different," he thought.

So, he gave her a sad look, bowed his head and let out a deep sigh of defeat.

"All right. You win. Come on. I'll take you home,"

Their walk was quite pleasant until they reached the marketplace.

Spike could not resist.

"Not to change the subject," he said, "but... ever play Parkour?"

"No,"

"Oh, then you've never lived! Come on!"

Before she could stop him, Spike ran ahead of her, through the town square.

Applejack ran as fast as she could. She tried to keep up with Spike as he darted around corners and scrambled over fences.

Spike disappeared around a corner, thinking Applejack was right behind him. But when she stopped to catch her breath, two guards suddenly appeared and threw her into the paddy wagon.

Spike soon realized that Applejack wasn't behind him. He frantically ran back through the market and tried to find her.

But all he found was her hat.

Before she knew what had happened, Applejack found herself behind bars at the city jail. She had never seen, let alone met, people like those in the lock-up. So many rough-looking characters. She felt so ashamed tears welled up in her eyes.

"Well, well," a seedy-looking punk said. "Look who we got here."

"A regular blooming debutante," another added. "Where ya been all my life, sugar?" he teased.

"Look at that dress – those gems ain't fakes," said a third. "This girl's got money. Or at least connections."

"What're you in for, sweetheart?" joked the second.

Suddenly, a sassy-looking girl with flaming red hair stepped out of the shadows and immediately shut the much larger, potentially more dangerous, prisoners up.

"All right, all right, you guys! Lay off, will ya?" she shouted.

"Aw, what's the matter, Sunset?" the first guy asked.

"We was only having a bit of sport, we was," the second added.

"Can't you see she's scared enough already?" she asked them.

"Pay no attention to them," said the tall, thin man in the neighboring cell.

"He's right," the redhead said. "They don't mean any real harm. I'm Sunset Shimmer, by the way," she introduced herself. "What's your name?"

"Applejack,"

"She may not be a shrinking violet like Fluttershy," AJ thought, "but she is very kind."

"You've already met Rover and Fido," she said, motioning to the first two cellmates. "The short one is Spot, and the tall guy in the next cell is Discord, the Master of Chaos."

"Confidentially, there's not one girl here who would not give her left arm or leg for such a dress," Discord said. "That's like a get out of jail free card."

"Take it from someone who knows!" the redhead said with a wink. "A girl like you won't stay here long."

Applejack's fear began to fade away when she saw that they all had hearts of gold—and they all had a common connection: The Drake.

"The Drake?" she inquired.

"That would be a reference to Spike Drake," Discord explained.

"Now, there's a guy who never gets caught!" Fido said.

"He's given the slip to every cop and guard in the kingdom," Rover added.

"You won't believe this, Applejack," said Sunset, "but no matter how tight a jam he's in, that boy always finds some way out."

Applejack believed her. Quite easily, in fact.

"Ah, but remember, my friends, even the greatest among us have their weaknesses," said Discord. "And the Drake's only weakness is the ladies."

"Yeah, but he never takes 'em seriously," Rover added. "Got a new one every week."

"He has an eye for a well-rounded bust," Fido went on. "Let's see, there's been Moondancer."

"Yeah, and Trixie,"

"And Rarity,"

"And the town librarian," Spot finished. "Miss Twilight Sparkle. I think."

After listening to what they all had to say about Spike, Applejack thought that he had let her be caught so he could go on to another girl.

"But one day, he'll meet someone different," Discord said. "Some delicate, fragile girl who gives him a wish to shelter and protect."

"Like little Miss House on the Prairie, here?" Fido asked, jerking a thumb in Applejack's direction.

"Mmm. Could be," Discord replied. "But when he does-"

"Way ahead of you!" Sunset interrupted. "'Under the spell of _true love..._ '"

"He grows careless," Fido added.

"The guards finally catch him," Discord went on.

"And it's curtains for the Drake," Rover finished.

Just then, they heard the jingle of keys. One of the guards had returned.

Sunset knew what she had been talking about. Not even half an hour had passed since Applejack was locked up, and she was released.

"All right, Applejack, I'll take you home," the guard said. "You're too nice a girl to be in this place."

"So long, Applejack!" cried the others. "Don't forget us! We won't forget you!"


	14. Applejack Returns Home

When Applejack returned home that evening, a still angry Miss Harshwhinny was waiting for her. And as part of Applejack's punishment for running away, Miss Harshwhinny had attached Winona to the barn with a short chain. She could barely move.

The reception when Applejack got home did not make her feel any better.

Instead of going inside with Harshwhinny and the Dazzlings, Applejack decided to stay out in the barn.

At dusk, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash came to visit her.

"So, it's a deal," Dash said, walking alongside her friend. "No matter which of us she chooses, you and I will always be best friends."

Fluttershy nodded.

"And remember, not a word about her time in the you-know-what. We don't want to upset her more,"

Fluttershy stopped for a moment, then Dash turned around to coax her.

"Come on!" she whispered.

They cautiously approached the barn and Fluttershy gently rapped on the door, causing it to creak open. They peeked their heads in, but they did not enter.

"AJ!" Dash whispered.

Applejack was so ashamed she could barely speak to them.

"Please, I don't want to see anybody,"

"AJ, don't be like that," said Dash.

"Of course not," Fluttershy added. "Why, some of my best friends wear stripes."

Rainbow Dash elbowed Fluttershy in the side.

"Please, Applejack," Dash began again. "We want to help you."

"Help me?" Applejack asked, stepping out of the barn. "What do you mean?"

"Well, AJ, we're all young adults here," Dash said.

"And we're all best friends," added Fluttershy.

"And we both have very comfortable homes," Dash went on.

"Where we know you'll be welcome and appreciated," Fluttershy continued. "So, if you wanted... That is, if you could find it possible..."

"What we mean is," Dash interrupted, "we'd like to adopt you into one of our families."

"Oh, you're both very kind," Applejack told them, "but-"

Suddenly, they heard a familiar voice call Applejack's name.

They all looked and saw someone at the front gate.

It was Spike, and he was holding Applejack's hat in his hands.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up!" Rainbow Dash said angrily.

"How _**dare**_ you come here after all that you've done!" Fluttershy added.

Then they all turned their backs on him.

"Applejack..." Spike began.

She continued to ignore him.

"Applejack," he said again.

"If this _creature_ is bothering you, Applejack..." Fluttershy started.

"We'll **_gladly_** show it the way out!" Rainbow Dash finished.

"That won't be necessary," she told them. "Thank you."

"Very well," Fluttershy said as she began to leave.

Rainbow Dash turned around and got right in Spike's face.

"You, you, you... _**Dragon!**_ "

She kicked up some mud, dirtying Spike's shoes, then she followed Fluttershy out the gate.

Spike, ignoring Rainbow Dash's actions, approached Applejack.

"Applejack, I'm sorry. I thought you were right behind me the whole time. Honest! I searched for you all day! And when I heard what'd happened-"

"Don't!" she sobbed. "Don't even start!"

Spike felt awful. He had come to apologize and she wouldn't even give him a chance to. She was so upset that she didn't even want to look at him.

How could he tell her how sorry he felt?

In her mind, he had deserted her.

So, he said the only thing that he could.

"I didn't mean for you to get hurt,"

"Hurt?" she asked. "Hurt!" she repeated. She paused for a moment, and then said, "Just tell me one thing."

"Anything,"

She finally turned to look at him.

"Were you ever going to tell me about you and Rarity?"

"Rarity?"

"Or Moondancer? Or Trixie? Or Twilight Sparkle, the town's librarian?" she demanded.

Spike backed away as Applejack got closer, and Winona, forgetting that she was chained, joined her owner in scolding Spike and nearly choked herself. The fur on her back rose with anger.

"Look at me!" Applejack shouted as her cheeks flushed red. "This is all your fault!"

"AJ, I-" Spike began.

"And don't call me 'AJ'!" she snarled. "Only _my_ friends can call me that! And we are not friends! As far as I'm concerned, we are complete strangers!"

"B-but-"

"You don't have to worry about me! I don't need you to look out for or protect me!" she snapped. "If you grow careless, don't blame me! And I don't care if the guards do take you away!"

"Please, let me explain," he stammered.

"There is nothing to explain! Go away! I never want to see you again!"

She took her hat from him and planted it firmly on her head. Then she grabbed the sundress he had given her and threw it at him.

"And take this with you!"

Spike caught the dress and slouched away with his head hung low.

"She really thinks I'm good-for-nothing," he thought. "How can I show her that I'm sorry? She will never believe that I love her now."


	15. The Timberwolf

Later that night, as Applejack lay crying in the barn, a large Timberwolf crouched nearby, watching her. He was waiting for her to fall asleep so that he could slip into the warm house. But AJ was too upset to sleep. She was feeling sad and lonely. She wished that her parents and Big Mac would come back.

She had promised them that she would protect Apple Bloom. And now, she felt like she had failed.

The Timberwolf was growing impatient. Seeing Winona chained far from the house, and having watched AJ send Spike away, the Timberwolf thought his opportunity had come at last. So, he decided to take a chance. He left his hiding place behind the woodpile and quietly sneaked toward the house.

Applejack watched Spike leave, and wondered if she had been too cruel, not to let him try to explain—that's when Winona saw it—that Timberwolf slinking toward the house—toward Apple Bloom!

Winona watched in terror as the Timberwolf climbed up the tree next to the house and jumped onto the roof. She began barking frantically to get Applejack's attention, and Applejack saw the Timberwolf just as it was slipping through the open window to Apple Bloom's room.

Winona went wild with rage! Barking wildly, she lunged towards the house but was jerked to a painful halt. She'd forgotten about the chain again and almost strangled herself once more.

Upstairs in the house, Miss Harshwhinny had been awakened by Winona's barking.

"What is that little beast up to now?" she said, putting on her robe. "If she keeps barking like that, she will wake up the baby!"

She opened the window and snapped, "Stop that racket immediately!"

Winona continued to bark.

"Hush!"

Then she slammed the window shut and turned away.

The Dazzlings, who had been sharing the bed in Big Macintosh's room, heard the uproar.

"What is it, Adagio?" Sonata asked, wide awake.

"Nothing, Sonata," Adagio, who was still half-asleep, groaned in reply.

"Just that dog carrying on because she's chained up," Aria added, putting a pillow over her head to block out the noise.

"But she's never carried on like this until now," Sonata said, almost worried. "Could someone be trying to break into the house? Maybe we should go down and see?"

"Go back to sleep, Sonata!" Aria snapped.

Meanwhile, outside, Spike had been sulking nearby when he heard Winona barking and came running back.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"A Timberwolf!" cried Applejack.

"Where?"

"Upstairs. In Apple Bloom's room!"

"How do I get in?"

"The kitchen! There's a key under the welcome mat!"

"I'll take care of it!" Spike shouted.

And with no thought for his safety, Spike sprinted across the yard, grabbed the key, and entered the house.

In the darkness, Spike crept through the kitchen, then into the hall and up the stairs. Spike walked down the upstairs hall, past the rooms Miss Harshwhinny and the Dazzlings were sleeping in, and stopped short just inside the door to Apple Bloom's room.

And not a moment too soon, because there, crouched in the corner by the window, was the Timberwolf, ready to pounce.

Spike growled as he pulled out one of his switchblades and cautiously approached the beast. He knew what to do. He had to stop it before it could hurt Apple Bloom.

Spike struck first. Sparks flew and teeth flashed as the two rolled around on the floor, knocking over lamps and chairs.

The Timberwolf climbed up onto the crib and Spike jumped on top of him, snarling ferociously. Startled, the Timberwolf lost its balance and fell back onto the floor. Spike landed next to it and the two continued to fight.

The Timberwolf was fast and fierce, but he was no match for the angry Dragon.

Meanwhile, with one last tug, Applejack snapped Winona free of her chain and they raced fearlessly for the back door.

They ran into the house, side by side, and when they got to Apple Bloom's room, her crib was still standing upright and the Timberwolf lay dead behind the chair in the corner – Spike had won.

Applejack looked at Spike, who was still panting from the fight and trying to clean his wounds. He was a bit scratched and his right hand was bleeding, but that was all. The noise had wakened Apple Bloom, who began to cry. Applejack tended to Spike while Winona stood guard over the crib.

Applejack poured water from the pitcher into the china basin that was on the dresser. Then she spiked the water with some alcohol. She dipped a washrag into the mixture and rubbed Spike's bleeding hand, hoping the alcohol would be enough to lessen the pain.

Applejack was thanking Spike when Miss Harshwhinny and the Dazzlings burst into the room. Miss Harshwhinny was purple with rage and carrying a broom. She and the Dazzlings didn't even notice the dead Timberwolf.

They only had eyes for the two teens.

"You two!" Miss Harshwhinny exclaimed. "Get them!"

She grabbed Applejack while Sonata grabbed Winona, and Adagio and Aria restrained Spike.

The two unlucky kids found themselves downstairs. First, the Dazzlings forced Applejack and Winona into the coat closet and locked them inside before they turned their attention back to Spike.

"Take him down to the cellar!" Miss Harshwhinny instructed them. "It's prison for you, you vicious brute – and this time it will be forever!"

Adagio and Aria dragged Spike outside by his arms while Sonata opened the cellar door and they thrust Spike into the darkness.

While they were locking the cellar door, the Dazzlings felt that something wasn't right. And for once, they felt sympathy for Applejack as they walked back into the house, past the coat closet and into the parlor.

"I still don't understand," Sonata told the others as she took a seat on the couch. "Why would some guy—and Applejack—?"

"She's jealous of the baby and brought one of her vicious friends in to attack the child!" Miss Harshwhinny said. "Thank goodness she wasn't hurt."

Sonata still couldn't bring herself to believe that Applejack would do that.

"I think she saw the guy and came in to protect the baby," she said.

"Rubbish!" said Miss Harshwhinny. "This is our responsibility. If you ladies don't know your duty, I know mine. I will notify the authorities. They'll take care of him once and for all! In fact, I'll call them this minute!" she said as she went for the telephone. "I won't be able to sleep a wink with that brute down there!"

Miss Harshwhinny didn't waste another minute and called the police.

Applejack tried to force the closet door open, but it would not budge. Then she heard Miss Harshwhinny on the other side.

"I don't care if you _**are**_ alone there!" she shouted into the phone. "I _**insist**_ that you pick him up immediately!"

"No!" Applejack shouted.


	16. Fluttershy to the Rescue

Within a few minutes, two guards in a barred wagon arrived at the farm. Miss Harshwhinny told them about Spike and they went to the cellar and rushed him into the wagon.

"And if you want my advice, you'll _destroy_ that animal at once!" Miss Harshwhinny told them.

"Don't worry, Ma'am," the senior officer said. "We've been after this one for months. _We'll take care of him._ "

For the first time in his life, Spike had been caught and was taken off to be executed.

Suddenly, Applejack heard familiar voices outside.

"Ma, Pa, Granny, look!"

"What do you suppose...?"

"Mom! Pa! Big Macintosh! They've come home!" AJ thought. "At last!"

"What's going on here?" Bright Mac asked one of the guards.

"Just picking up an intruder, sir," the senior officer replied. "Caught him attacking the baby. Come on, giddup!" he told the horse as he cracked his whip.

"Good heavens!" Bright Mac exclaimed.

"Apple Bloom!" Pear Butter gasped.

"Applejack!" they all called out.

At the same time, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy watched from behind the bushes as Spike was taken away.

"Well, there he goes," Rainbow Dash said. "I knew he was no good the moment I laid eyes on him!"

"Yeah," Fluttershy replied in agreement as they walked up to the house. "But I _never_ thought he would do a thing like that."

Miss Harshwhinny told Applejack's parents her side of the story as soon as they came in.

"Thank goodness I got there in time," she explained. "There they were, in the baby's room, and she was right beside him-"

"I'm sure there's some mistake," Bright Mac said. "I know Applejack wouldn't do anything like that."

"Where _is_ Applejack?" Big Macintosh asked.

Applejack threw herself against the closet door, trying to get out, and within a few seconds, Big Macintosh opened the door and AJ jumped right into his arms.

"AJ, what's going on?" he asked. "What happened?"

Big Macintosh knew that she had the answer and Applejack knew that she had to act fast. She knew that she couldn't just explain what had happened. She would have to show them the dead Timberwolf.

"They will understand if they see it," she thought.

She jumped past everyone and ran up the stairs, hoping they would follow her.

"Watch out!" Harshwhinny shouted. "Stop her! She'll hurt the baby!"

"Nonsense! She's trying to tell us something!" Big Macintosh replied. "What is it, sis?"

They followed Applejack down the hall, her brother at her heels, and she led them straight to the dead Timberwolf that lay half-hidden under the chair in Apple Bloom's room. Big Macintosh lifted the curtain.

"Ma! Pa! Granny! Come quick!" he shouted.

"What is it?" Bright Mac asked.

"A Timberwolf!" Pear Butter cried.

Miss Harshwhinny nearly fainted.

Meanwhile, downstairs and outside the house, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and the Dazzlings heard Pear Butter scream. And they realized they all had been wrong about Spike.

"A Timberwolf!" Fluttershy shrieked. "We should have known."

Rainbow Dash felt ashamed.

"I misjudged him," she admitted. "Badly."

Even the Dazzlings felt terrible.

"What're we going to do?" Adagio asked.

"There must be something we can do to help," Sonata said.

Fluttershy had a plan.

"Come on!" she exclaimed as she grabbed Winona's leash. "We've got to stop that wagon!"

"But we don't know which way they went," Aria said.

"Winona will track 'em down!" Fluttershy told them.

"And _then_ what?" Rainbow Dash asked, almost flustered.

"We hold them. Hold them at bay," Fluttershy said, almost darkly. "We have to help him. He may be a Dragon, but he is a good one!"

With Rainbow Dash and the Dazzlings by their side, Fluttershy and Winona took off, down the lane and through town, on the wagon's trail.

They stopped at a four-way intersection.

"Now what?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"The scent, Winona," Fluttershy said. "Follow the scent, girl."

Winona started sniffing the ground and Rainbow Dash shrugged in exasperation.

"Let's face it, girl," she said. "We all know you've lost your touch."

Fluttershy looked her best friend right in the eye and glared at her. And suddenly, Rainbow Dash was filled with fear.

The Stare was back!

A few more seconds of sniffing and Winona let out a bone-chilling howl.

She had caught Spike's scent!

* * *

"Don't you see?" Bright Mac shouted. "That boy wasn't attacking Apple Bloom. He was helping Applejack protect her! Which is a lot more than I can say for you!"

"I thought they were after the baby!" Miss Harshwhinny said.

"Well, where is he?" Pear Butter asked.

"Oh, no!" Harshwhinny exclaimed. "They already took him away! I just sent him to be—!"

Granny Smith looked at Harshwhinny with an icy stare and spoke in a calm, low and patient tone, enunciating every word clearly and precisely, as if she were speaking to an idiot.

"I am going to save that boy. And when I come back I trust that you will be ready to leave. Am I clear?"

Miss Harshwhinny swallowed hard, blinked, and said, "Yes, ma'am."

Granny Smith hurried outside. Applejack helped her into the wagon while Big Macintosh hitched up the horses and climbed into the driver's seat.

"You're coming with us!" he told Applejack. "We'll find your friend. He saved our sister's life. It's the very least we can do," he said as they left the farm.

They sped off, on the trail of the paddy wagon.

In the wagon, Applejack began to worry that they might be too late. From the back seat, Granny Smith placed a hand on her granddaughter's shoulder and said, "You did your job well, just as I knew you would."

"I just hope I can do it again," Applejack said softly. "Faster! Please hurry!" she called to her brother.

* * *

At last, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and the Dazzlings sighted the paddy wagon ahead, with Spike watching them through the bars.

"I'll head them off," Fluttershy told Rainbow Dash as she ran straight in front of the horses.

Barking and leaping about, Winona spooked the horses, causing them to rear up. Then, the armored carriage swayed, tipped over and crashed—right onto Fluttershy!

Applejack, Granny Smith and Big Macintosh finally caught up with the paddy wagon. Big Macintosh explained to the guards that Spike didn't belong in jail and Applejack ran around the back.

"It's all been a terrible mistake," Big Macintosh said.

"Spike! Are you hurt?" Applejack asked.

"I'm fine," he answered.

Then Applejack heard Winona whimpering. She ran around the carriage and saw Fluttershy pinned, motionless, underneath the wagon wheel.

Rainbow Dash fell to her knees and wept and Winona let out a howl.


	17. Finale

Fluttershy awoke in the hospital several days later. The head of her bed was raised at a forty-five-degree angle. High enough for her to look out the window.

It was also high enough for her to see that her right leg was also raised... and in a cast. Spike and Applejack were there, standing close, and the doctor showed them the X-ray he had taken.

Fluttershy had broken her leg, but she would be all right.

"You're lucky your friends got you here so quickly," he told her. "You'll have to rest here for a few more days. And I recommend not running in front of wagons or carriages ever again."

Fluttershy nodded slowly, at least as best she could with her head resting on the pillow.

The doctor left and Spike pulled a chair from against the wall and placed it next to the bed. He offered it to Applejack, but she shook her head. Spike nodded and sat down on it.

Aside from the cast on her leg, Fluttershy looked relatively the same as when Spike first met her. Her hair was brushed, her skin was pale, and her green hospital gown matched the drapes.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"My leg hurts," she said.

Her voice was quiet, but also weak and slow.

"The doctor said I was in an accident,"

Fluttershy closed her eyes. Tears welled out of them. Spike took her hand in his and she opened them again.

"You saved my life, Fluttershy," he said. "If it weren't for you, I'd be dead right now. Thank you."

"I would give my life for you," replied the proud girl.

Nurse Kindheart came in and kindly shooed Spike and Applejack out, and Fluttershy watched them until the door closed behind them. Then she leaned back in her bed, in silence.

Spike followed Applejack down the long bright corridor to the elevator.

They reached the elevator bay and Spike hit the button.

The elevator bell rang and a group of two doctors and four nurses shuffled off and Spike and Applejack stepped on.

After the doors closed, Applejack turned to Spike and stared at him.

She wanted to ask him something that had been troubling her since her day in the lock-up.

"Tell me what happened between you and Rarity," she spoke quietly.

At first, Spike said nothing.

"I need to know," she said.

Spike forced himself to look at her.

"She was my girlfriend," he said. "Before I met you."

"How far did it go?"

He knew what she meant. And he was prepared to give her his most honest answer.

"We were friends. We were in a relationship. We told each other everything. We had a good thing going. Three great months. She was a nice person. And she still is. We were close. Just two lonely people looking for companionship... But I never slept with her. I never slept with any of them. Not Rarity, not Trixie, not Moondancer, and certainly not Twilight,"

As Applejack looked into his eyes, she knew that he wasn't lying.

"That's all I needed to know," she said. "Thank you."

The elevator opened into the lobby on the ground floor and they walked side by side toward the exit. Applejack's family was waiting in the wagon outside.

As they left the hospital, Applejack asked him another question.

"Tell me something else, Spike," said Applejack. "What did Pinkie mean when she said I'm your _bella fidanzata_? Does that mean girlfriend?"

Spike looked at AJ and grinned.

"You've got a good memory," he complimented her. "And no. It means 'beautiful fiancée.' And you are, aren't you?"

Her entire family was surprised by this. They didn't know what to think.

Granny pulled Applejack aside.

"You really like this tough guy, don't you?" she asked.

"I do," AJ said. "He may not be perfect, but I love him!"

"Well, why don't we invite him to live with us,"

And so, Spike and Applejack became engaged and were soon married. It took some getting used to, but Spike grew to love being part of a family. And Bright Mac, Pear Butter and Big Macintosh grew to love him, too.

* * *

After Spike and Applejack were wed, Twilight wrote a letter to Princess Celestia. After hearing how much trouble her "underage" law had caused, she abolished it without hesitation.

Hearth's Warming Eve came again. But this time there was not one, not two, but three new faces under the tree!

In addition to Granny Smith, Bright Mac, Pear Butter, Big Macintosh and Applejack, there was Apple Bloom, Spike, and Big Macintosh's new girlfriend, Sugar Belle. A full house and then some.

They posed for a family photo with Granny and Pear Butter sitting in the center, with Apple Bloom sitting on her mother's lap. Then clockwise from the left was Big Macintosh, who was on one knee, with Sugar Belle sitting on his thigh, Bright Mac standing behind his wife and mother, and Spike and Applejack standing to the right.

After the picture was taken, Bright Mac looked out the window.

"Buttercup, we have visitors," he said.

They all looked out the window and saw Rainbow Dash and her adopted sister Scootaloo leading a group of people with Twilight Sparkle close behind. After Twilight were Rarity and her baby sister Sweetie Belle being escorted by Rover, Spot and Fido (who looked more like they were fighting each other over who got to escort them). After them was Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich, arm in arm. Then Discord, who was sporting a new brown suit, and Sunset Shimmer, who was wearing a different black leather jacket, boots, and blue jeans with a matching top. And Fluttershy, her leg still in a cast, and walking on crutches, but otherwise fine, limped up to the door.

"Careful, Fluttershy," Discord said. "Careful."

"Happy Hearth's Warming," Bright Mac said as he opened the door to them. "Come in, come in. If you'll just step into the parlor, I'll see about refreshments."

He and Pear Butter ducked into the kitchen while Spike and Applejack helped their friends remove their coats.

After they all congratulated the happy couple, Discord helped Fluttershy into the living room and she took a seat on the couch.

"No doubt about it," Fluttershy said, looking over at Apple Bloom. "She looks just like her papa."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash agreed.

"But there's a little bit of her mother in her, too," Twilight added. "It's nice to see you've finally settled down," she told Spike.

Spike nodded. Then he leaned in and kissed Applejack under the mistletoe.

As they looked back at Bright Mac and Pear Butter, Spike and Applejack could see the love and pride in their eyes.

Spike and AJ joined their friends in the parlor as Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all sat at Fluttershy's feet.

"There'll be no living with her from now on," Rainbow Dash told the others.

"As Dr. Fauna used to say, uh... I don't think I've ever mentioned Dr. Fauna before, have I?" Fluttershy asked the children.

"No, you haven't, Fluttershy," Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo said in unison.

"I haven't?" Fluttershy gasped. "Well, as Dr. Fauna used to say, she'd say, uh... She'd say... Uh... Doggone! You know, I clean forgot what it was she used to say!"

Spike looked around the room and smiled as everyone laughed, and he knew how lucky he was to have a nice home and such wonderful friends and family to share it with.

 _The End_


End file.
